Herman Leonard was an American photographer known for his unique images of jazz icons.
10 Facts About Herman Leonard
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Leonard was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to Joseph Leonard and Rose Morrison, who were Romanian Jewish immigrants who emigrated from Iasi to the US.
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Herman Leonard gained a BFA degree in photography in 1947 from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, although his college career was interrupted by a tour of duty in the US Army during World War II.
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In 1948, Herman Leonard opened his first studio in New York's Greenwich Village at 200 Sullivan St Working free-lance for various magazines, he spent his evenings at the Royal Roost and then Birdland, where he photographed jazz musicians such as Dexter Gordon, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and others.
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Herman Leonard photographed many French recording artists for Barclay Records, including Dalida, Charles Aznavour, Leo Ferre, Henri Salvador, Jacques Brel, Jean Ferrat, Les Chaussettes Noires, Eddy Mitchell, and Johnny Hallyday.
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In June 2009, Herman Leonard was the commencement speaker for the 2009 graduating class of Ohio University, at which time he received an honorary doctorate.
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Herman Leonard worked with musician Lenny Kravitz on a project in the Bahamas during January 2010.
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The BBC produced a film, "Saving Jazz", about Herman Leonard's struggles following the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans.
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In 2012, the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles presented a year-long retrospective, Herman Leonard: Documenting the Giants of Jazz.
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The exhibition included artifacts from many of the artists that Herman Leonard photographed, including Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Chet Baker, and Ella Fitzgerald.